orded that they were settled before 1794. Nor does the Pandhar
itself seem sufficiently important to have given a name to the whole
body of freebooters. Malcolm's or Wilson's derivations are perhaps on
the whole the most probable. Prinsep writes: "Pindara seems to have
the same reference to Pandour that Kuzak has to Cossack. The latter
word is of Turkish origin but is commonly used to express a mounted
robber in Hindustan." Though the Pandours were the predatory light
cavalry of the Austrian army, and had considerable resemblance to
the Pindaris, it does not seem possible to suppose that there is any
connection between the two words. The Pendra zamindari in Bilaspur is
named after the Pindaris, the dense forests of the Rewah plateau which
includes Pendra having been one of their favourite asylums of refuge.

2. Rise of the Pindaris

The Pindari bands appear to have come into existence during the wars
of the late Muhammadan dynasties in the Deccan, and in the latter part
of the seventeenth century they attached themselves to the Marathas in
their revolt against Aurangzeb. The first mention of the name occurs
at this time. During and after the Maratha wars many of the Pindari
leaders obtained grants in Central India from Sindhia and Holkar,
and were divided into two parties owing a nominal allegiance to these
princes and designated as the Sindhia Shahi and Holkar Shahi. In the
period of chaos which reigned at this time outside British territories
their raids in all directions attended by the most savage atrocities
became more and more intolerable. These outrages extended from
Bundelkhand to Cuddapah south of Madras and from Orissa to Gujarat.

When attached to the Maratha armies, Malcolm states, the Pindaris
always camped separately and were not permitted to plunder in the
Maratha territories; they were given an allowance averaging four
annas each a day, and further supported themselves by employing
their small horses and bullocks in carrying grain, forage and wood,
for which articles the Pindari bazar was the great mart. When let
loose to pillage, which was always the case some days before the
army entered an enemy's country, all allowances stopped; no restraint
whatever was put upon these freebooters till the campaign was over,
when the Maratha commander, if he had the power, generally seized
the Pindari chiefs or surrounded their camps and forced them to yield
up the greater part of their booty. A knowledge of